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Using an API vs Building In-House: Which is King?

Start an API-based company? So last year. The ecosystem has thrived and grown quickly to the point where the question in entrepreneurs’ minds now is: how can we scale something fast to be successful? There are many companies that use APIs to build their product fast so they can focus on what's core. And there are those like Facebook and Google that choose to build everything in-house. So is there a secret sauce? What's the right way to decide what to do?

Panelists from e-commerce platform Shopify, online payments processor Stripe, voice and SMS API Twilio, email deliverability leaders SendGrid, push notifications specialist Urban Airship and venture capital pioneers Bessemer Venture Partners will tackle the successful and not-so-successful ways that entrepreneurs today build and grow their businesses with APIs. Taken from their own experiences and partnerships, the panel will discuss dos and don’ts and debate when to build yourself or buy from someone else.

Questions

How are leading companies today using APIs to scale their business?

What are the pros and cons of using APIs to do so?

What are the pros and cons to building products in-house?

How do companies determine when to use an API and when to build in-house?